A Secret Kept
by Of-Thieves-and-Liars
Summary: After TLO everything at camp is finally settling down but when Percy starts to notice a girl at camp named Padama, who despit everything is still unclaimed, a secret kept begins to fall apart and they find Kronos is not as gone as he should be.


Padama sat at the Hermes table watching her cabin mates in reserved silence. She had always been one to speak out, her father use to call her hard to restrain but it was her nature. That was until she was ordered to "lay low". At least that's how Chiron had put it when she had first arrived. When she was done with her meal she stood and began her trek back to the arena where she could put some more practice in with her sword.

"Padama" Twin voice called after her as she walked past Travis and Conner.

"You're not leavening already are you?"

"We still have the campfire tonight."

"And as part of our cabin we expect you to be there." Padama rolled her eyes and ignored them. They never got mad at her even though not once had she listened to them since the beginning of the summer. It was the first summer her father had allowed her to come and Padama had no intention of wasting that time around a camp fire. She was here to prepare for what she knew she would have to do.

Chiron watched as Padama left from where he stood. He shook his head slightly. Mr.D looked up at the movement, his eyes followed Chiron's to the retreating girl.

"She will get better, after all he let her come you can stop worrying about her. I really don't think she intends to break her promise." He said in a unusually kind voice.

"That is what worries me. It would be normal for her to try. That much I had expected. It's this sadness, it clings to her, and it is not like Padama to act like this." Mr.D shrugged and went back to his meal.

Padama began walking faster till she was in a dead run when she got to the arena. She joyfully laughed out loud.

"It feels so good to stretch my muscles." Padama said to the empty space. She grabbed her sword and went to hacking at a dummy, letting her emotions leave her as she battled it out with all her strength.

She didn't stop till someone cleared their throat. In surprise she tripped, sending her sprawling in the dirt.

"You know you could of waited." Padama grumbled as she dusted herself off. The leader for the Apollo cabin stepped forward with a mischievous laugh.

"There is no fun in that." He answered.

"I saw you leave dinner I figured you had run off to be alone."

"So you followed me figuring my intentional exile didn't include you?" Padama answered with some malice. She liked Alexander but sometimes she just really needed to be alone, to think.

"You had to make sure you where ok." Padama picked a bow and arrow off the floor and shot it, the arrow impaled the ground inches from where he stood.

"I can protect myself."

"Can I ask you a question?" Alexa asked as he tried to pull the arrow up. Padama didn't answer so he took it as a yes.

"One why have you not been claimed yet and two are you coming to the campfire tonight, I'm singing and I was hoping you would listen." He was too nervous to meet her eyes.

"That was two questions." She laughed more to herself them anything else. He looked up, his face was scarlet.

"It safer if no one knows me and sure, I would like to come to the fire." Alexander brightened.

"Great!" He turned and ran out the door with excitement. Padama followed after him.

Percy sat with Annabeth around the fire. They held hands as they listened to the boys from the Apollo cabin performed a new song.

"Oh I'm so happy for Alex." Annabeth exclaimed when she caught sight of Padama sitting next to him.

"What?" Percy asked, completely clueless.

"He was telling some of the girls there was a girl that he really liked I guess he finally got up the nerve to ask her out. "

"And who would that be?" Percy asked still mostly confused with where this conversation had come from.

"Padama from the Hermes cabin." Percy looked at the girl. She was not someone he had ever really noticed. She wore a large hoodie that covered her hair and obscured most of her face.

"When was she claimed, I don't think I ever noticed her." Percy asked, slightly embarrassed. He had made it a point to at least talk to everyone when they first came after the war and everything that had already happened.

"That just it Percy, she wasn't claimed." Annabeth gray eyes where serious. Percy understood what she was implying.

"I will talk to Chiron about it." Percy assured her then turned back to the music, every so often he would look over at the girl as if waiting for a sign.

Chiron watched as Padama sat closer to Alex, across the fire Travis and Conner where fighting among themselves. Chiron had notice they had begun to fancy her from the time she had arrived in their cabin. It was clear they did not like the competition. Chiron had spoken to Padama when she first arrived that she had to keep her feelings in check or they could end up reveling the secret she had sworn on the Styx to keep.


End file.
